Page 45 of Wait a HO HO HO Second!

#Knowledgeispower

It was after one in the afternoon, but Kian had texted Marci, who told him that everything was fine at the mall and that she was working on the special Santa event. That gave him time to take Joy to lunch so they could talk about the Harrington proposal before the weekend’s business stole their time. He planned to rest on Friday and work from home so he’d be ready for his second Santa debut. They’d do the tree lighting, and then he planned to whisk Joy away on Monday for a second one. Maybe one she could enjoy instead of micromanaging. That is, if the guy could fix her brace. What was he called?

Glancing up at the building, he read the name. “Snowcap Ridge Orthotics and Prosthetics.” This time, he committed it to memory. His goal was to show Joy she mattered to him, including learning about her disability and how he could best support her at work.

Sure, at work, his inner voice said. The fact that you’ve been sitting here looking at pictures on the internet of people with the same disease she has, has everything to do with work.

Leaning his head back against the headrest, he gazed across the street at the local drugstore. Maybe he wanted to know more about it in general, but he also knew she wasn’t interested in educating him. Frankly, she shouldn’t have to. He was a grown adult who knew how to use the internet. Kian could educate himself about CMT and how best to support her without putting it on Joy’s shoulders.

Was it confusing as hell with all the subtypes and how they determine which muscles are affected? Yes, but he remembered what she’d said about her type being different from her dad’s, so he filtered the information down to what mattered. At least until she opened up to him more about the specific aspects of her disease. Part of him snorted at the idea, but another part doubled down on showing her he was trustworthy.

Joy didn’t trust him right now. That was clear in her insistence that he wait in the car while she went in and handled the situation. Fine. That was an easy ask. He could make phone calls and work while he waited. If that’s what it took to earn her trust, he’d gladly stay in the background and support her however she allowed. That included feeding her good food and laughing with her whenever he could. Getting to know her for the past few weeks had changed him all over again. She made him a better person simply by letting him be part of her life.

Motion caught his eye, and he glanced up to see Joy walking out the door, her crutches in place and her limp considerably improved. She’d insisted she didn’t need to see a doctor about the blister and knew how to care for it, so he hadn’t pushed the issue. He wasn’t going to win both battles, so he chose the one that would help her most in the short term: fixing the brace. Hopefully.

He shifted the car into Drive and pulled up to the curb cut so she could put her crutches in the back and climb into the passenger seat. “Brrr,” she said, rubbing her hands in front of the heater vent. “The weather is nasty today.”

“The temperature keeps going the wrong way,” he agreed as she buckled up. “How did it go?”

“Good,” she answered, as though he’d be satisfied with a single word. He made the “out with it” motion with his hand as he pulled out onto the street. Her sigh made him smile because he knew she was about to spill it. “I was right that the arch changed again. It’s to be expected. He took a new casting for the left side and will make a new AFO. In the meantime, he was able to heat and press this one enough to make it wearable for the next week without causing further damage. We talked about not making a new one and seeing if the changes to this one did the trick, but I know better.”

“You know better what?” Kian asked, turning left at the stoplights.

“If we do that, we’ll be chasing our tails with this brace,” she explained. “It’s like retrofitting something. Technically, it works, but it usually takes a lot to maintain it. Making this AFO work would mean nonstop trips to see him and the risk of larger blisters that could become infected. It’s just not worth it.”

“Doesn’t sound like it,” Kian agreed. “Does insurance cover the cost of the new brace?”

“It will this time,” she said, nodding. “I’ve paid my deductible, so they’ll cover eighty percent, and I’ll pay the remaining twenty percent.”

“Is it considered rude to ask how much one of them costs?”

“No, but you’ll probably be surprised.”

“I have one pegged around five hundred bucks?” he said, and Joy shook her head.

“Try four times that,” she muttered, rolling her eyes.

“Wait, two grand for one? How long do they last?” Kian was officially stunned. Was she serious?

“It depends on the disease’s progression. Sometimes it’s a year, sometimes three years. Unfortunately, this time it was six months.”

“Are there other options for braces that wouldn’t have to be remade as often?” Putting the car into Park, he turned to her. “I was reading about carbon fiber ones.”

“You were reading?” Joy asked, her brows rising in surprise.

“I do that from time to time.” His wink suggested he was teasing her.

“They do make carbon fiber ones, but they aren’t suitable for my type of foot drop or the level of support I need because of the muscle wasting in my calves.”

“Oh, so there are different materials and designs depending on which stage of the disease you’re in?” Was he pushing his luck by asking so many questions? Maybe, but Kian genuinely wanted to learn about CMT and how it affected her life.

“Yes. CMT is one of those diseases where no two people have the same course. While there are many kinds of braces available, wearing the right one is important to prevent injury and pain, and that can also change over time.”

“I’m glad you have a professional in your life who can help you navigate it all,” Kian said, shutting off the car.

As if Joy had just noticed where they were, she turned to him. “Why are we at Riley’s Sports Bar?”

“We missed lunch. I thought we’d grab a burger and a beer and talk strategy for the Harrington meeting. If you’re up for it, that is.” Her stomach rumbled, and he grinned. “Sounds like your belly’s in.”